Chinese navy marks 70th year of capture of key islands in South China Sea

BEIJING: Chinese navy today celebrated the 70th anniversary of the capture of the Xisha and Nansha islands in the South China Sea, asserting its claim over the disputed area which it continued to retain brushing aside an international tribunal ruling quashing its claims.

People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy today commemorated the 70th anniversary of the recovery of the Xisha and Nansha Islands, the Chinese names of Paracel and Spratly islands in the South China Sea ( SCS), official media reported.

In compliance of the Cairo Declaration and Potsdam Proclamation, China in November and December 1946 designated officials to proceed to the islands by four warships to take over the islands, illegally occupied by Japan, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Ceremonies were held to demonstrate that China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over the islands.

"Recovering these islands was an important achievement of China's war against aggression, demonstrating that China was firmly safeguarding the post-war international order and affirming the nation as defending its rights and interests in the South China Sea," PLA Navy Commander Wu Shengli said at the commemoration.

Construction on the islands and reefs are "lawful, justified and reasonable" being in Chinese territory, Wu said, without referring to the international tribunal ruling in July this year which struck down China's historic claims over the area. China has rejected the ruling.

China's claims over almost all of the SCS was contested by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, which were backed by the US to assert their claims.

The SCS dispute, however, took back seat after the election of Rodrigo Duterte as President of Philippines who distanced from the US and worked out truce with China, putting the SCS dispute on the back burner.